Oh, the indignity

This morning was fun. No, really, very fun. After waiting for two weeks to hear from my surgeon about what kind of scans or xrays he wanted to do (and finally hearing back only after nagging his nurse via voice ail), I was scheduled for a fistulogram bright and early at 8:30am. I arrive on time despite horrible signage for the radiology department, which had you go in through the cancer center - yeah, not an image that was fun. When they finally call me back to get me registered, the clerk starts frowning quite a bit - they can't find the orders from my doctor. Really? I was supposed to be in and out, and back in my home office before 11am when I had a meeting scheduled, plus my team in India would be monitoring a mainframe delete package.

Finally, the manage to get my surgeon's office on the phone and get the orders faxed over - I don't get called back until about 10:15, far later than my scheduled 9am procedure time. So a fistulogram is this: they take a tiny tube and insert it into the external opening of the fistula, shoot contrast solution into it, and then take xrays. The only mildly interesting part of this was that the radiologist looked at things on a monitor I could see before he took the xray snapshots. I have a very interesting pelvic bone.

Anyway - I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of pain of that going into the fistula - which was still there in all its glory, though the bit that actually connected to the rectum is currently nearly microscopic in size. The radiologist then decided he wanted to put more contrast directly into my rectum to make sure I didn't have additional tracts anywhere. So basically I got a contrast enema. That was as fun as it sounded. Nothing extra visible, I get sent to the restroom and then they take one final film after I got rid of much of that contrast, and then I was able to head home - unfortunately now bleeding from the renewed larger opening. Of course I picked today to wear my pretty new undies too. Oxyclean, please work.

So, waiting now for the radiologist report to make it's way to my surgeon, and then hear back from them. I'm pretty sure I'm going to seek a second opinion from Wake Forest before doing any additional surgery - I want whatever is done next to be the LAST on this. Good grief, been dealing with this for 7 months now.

Tonight is my WLS support group meeting, but I'm oozy enough and my back hurts that I just don't wanna go. I'm curled up in the recliner now, and hoping to feel better soon. The Man is going to go get dinner later so I won't have to cook. He's a keeper.